E-mail Worm Alerts - Swen And Dumaru Spread Across The Web!

You may have heard about the recent spread of both the W32/Swen@MM E-mail Worm/Trojan Horse and the W32.Dumaru@mm E-mail Worm/Trojan Horse that have been making their way around the Web. That's right. Not only are they worms (they replicate themselves and send copies of themselves to other computers), but they are also Trojan horses. A Trojan horse is a malicious program that pretends to be a benign application but then does something the user does not expect. Here's how they work.

Computers are infected by either the W32/Swen@MM Worm/Trojan Horse or the W32.Dumaru@mm Worm/Trojan Horse when users open an accompanying attachment of an "official looking" e-mail supposedly from Microsoft. The subject of the e-mail usually says something like "Latest Microsoft Critical Patch," "Use This Patch Immediately!" or "New Microsoft Upgrade." The text of the e-mail encourages the recipient to open the attachment to apply a security patch for their Windows operating system. (That's the Trojan horse part of this malicious e-mail.) However, when the attachment is opened, the worm replicates itself on the infected computer, harvests e-mail addresses from the victim's machine and then automatically sends itself to e-mail addresses that it has found on the machine.

If a friend forwards an e-mail to you (or the e-mail appears to come directly from Microsoft) which discusses a patch remedy and has an accompanying attachment, do NOT open the attachment. Microsoft NEVER includes attachments with its e-mail security bulletins. Instead, Microsoft provides security bulletins on its website which then include steps to install security updates. (For a list of Microsoft's latest security bulletins, go to: http://www.microsoft.com/security/security_bulletins/.)

For more information on how to determine whether a Microsoft security-related e-mail message is genuine, go to: http://www.microsoft.com/security/antivirus/authenticate_mail.asp.

For additional information on how to protect your computer against viruses and worms, Microsoft encourages its customers (as do we) to go to http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/. This is especially important in protecting yourself from the W32/Swen@MM E-mail Worm/Trojan Horse as this worm also has the ability to infect machines when a recipient simply views the e-mail message via the preview pane — without even opening the accompanying attachment!

Remember, receiving an e-mail attachment from a trusted friend or a reliable source may not necessarily mean that they were the actual senders of the message and attachment. Also, the ultimate responsibility of protecting your computer against worms and viruses lies with you. Many viruses and worms not only spread via e-mail, but also through the sharing of files when using floppy disks, zip disks, CDs and networks, as well as when downloading software from the Internet. We encourage each of our users to install and utilize virus-scanning software, to update this software on a regular basis and to scan all incoming attachments before opening them, even if the attachment shows coming from a reliable source.

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WebMail Conversion Scheduled - Existing WebMail Users Will Be Upgraded To New E-mail Program This Month

Scatter Creek InfoNet is upgrading its webmail program. Customers who are currently using webmail will be converted to the new program, called SquirrelMail this month. All saved information including e-mails and addresses will transfer over to the new program. SquirrelMail has all the functionality you would want from a web based e-mail client, including address books, folder manipulation and, perhaps the best part, a Spam filter! You may already be familiar with SquirrelMail if you are currently using the Spam filter. Go to www.scattercreek.com and click on SquirrelMail to check it out.

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Ask The Help Desk - How To Read Web Pages With Dark Backgrounds

Question: I find it quite difficult to read web pages that have dark text on a dark background. Is there an easy way to make these readable?

Answer: Sometimes a background doesn't load correctly which makes the text difficult to read. Other times, honestly, web pages with dark text on a dark background are simply due to poor website design. Either way, some pages are just plain hard to read.

Give this simple trick a try next time you come to a web page that is difficult to read due to a dark background—simultaneously hit the "CTRL" key and the "A" key on your keyboard (the "Command" key and "A" key when using a Macintosh). This will highlight (select) the entire page. The background color will most likely then turn a light shade of blue and the text will be white. The result is still not ideal but it's easier reading than trying to decipher dark text on a black background.

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Great Sites To Check Out This Month

Finding Correct Zip Codes
http://www.usps.com/zip4/ -  So you're getting ready to send out your holiday greeting cards but you don't have the zip code for some of your friends and relatives. Not to worry. The US Postal Service provides a web page to assist you. Simply type in the street address, town and state of the address in question and the website provides you with the correct zip code. Now if they'd just lick the stamps for you...

Home Decorating For The Holidays
http://www.ivillage.com/home/holiday/pages/0,,195740_544130,00.html -  It's time to get your home ready for the holidays and this site can get you off to a head start. It provides great ideas for outdoor lighting, easy-to-make wreaths, handmade gifts, craft projects for the kids, quick and cheap holiday table settings, decorative holiday centerpieces and much more. There's also a helpful link entitled "Emergency Clean Up—Getting Ready For Guests In 30 Minutes" which may come in handy!

Looney Tunes: Back In Action - The Movie
http://www2.warnerbros.com/looneytunesbackinaction/index.html -  "Looney Tunes: Back In Action" is the first Looney Tunes film since the 1996 release of "Space Jam." It combines live action with animation and includes Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Yosemite Sam, Wile E. Coyote, Sylvester and the rest of the Looney Tunes gang. The movie also stars Brendan Fraser, Steve Martin, Heather Locklear and Jenna Elfman. The official site includes a variety of movie posters as well as a funny trailer for viewing. "Looney Tunes: Back In Action" is rated PG for some mild language and innuendo.

"Trading Spaces" - The TV Show
http://tlc.discovery.com/fansites/tradingspaces/tradingspaces.html -  If you're hooked on the "Trading Spaces" television show, now you can find out how to get on the show, watch outtakes and bloopers from previous shows, check out photo galleries and biographies of your favorite designers, hosts and carpenters, and most importantly, find out why the hosts wear the same clothes on both the first day and second day of each episode! There's also an archive of room pictures (before and after shots) from each show.

All About Tiddlywinks
http://www.tiddlywinks.org/ -  November is a great month for sitting around and playing a rousing game of tiddlywinks. Remember playing tiddlywinks as a kid? Well, there's a good chance you played this game because according to the North American Tiddlywink Association, there have been over 1,000 different varieties of tiddlywinks games produced by over 160 publishers since 1888. This site provides the history of tiddlywinks as well as an in-depth index of tiddlywinks terminology. Maybe it’s time to get out the old "squidger" (shooter) and shoot some "winks" (flat round disks) into the "pot" (cup) for some points.

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Short Tutorial - Correct Your Password When Using Autocomplete

Have you ever typed in a password on a website and then chose the option to save the password so that you wouldn't have to remember and retype it each time? This is a convenient shortcut but it can be a frustration if you accidentally typed in the wrong password when you initially saved the information. Now every time you start typing the password in, the field is automatically completed with the incorrect password.

Internet Explorer has a function called "Forms Autocomplete" that stores basic information that you frequently type into forms on websites. It stores information such as your name, address and even site passwords. It can save you time when filling out online forms.

If you've accidentally typed and saved a password incorrectly when first filling out an online form, you can go into the Autocomplete settings and revise the password. (See the instructions below.) However, be certain you want to remove/change this password because by clearing the incorrect password when using a Windows operating system, you actually clear ALL the passwords saved via the Autocomplete function.

To change your Autocomplete settings when using a Windows operating system and utilizing an Internet Explorer browser, follow these steps.

• Click your cursor arrow on "Tools" in the Internet Explorer menu bar.
• Drop down to "Internet Options" from the resulting drop-down menu. The "Internet Options" window will appear.
• Click on the "Content" Tab.
• In the Personal Information area click on the "Autocomplete" button.
• Click on the "Clear Passwords" button. This will get rid of your incorrect password but it will also clear all of your passwords so be sure that's what you want to do.

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Thanks for your business!

Best regards,

All of Us at Scatter Creek InfoNet

©2003 Cornerstone Publishing Group Inc.

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